Crane's Rice Hat
by AndrewJohnston7
Summary: Every living person has something they associate themselves with, something that they fight teeth and claw to have them in their lives, as without it, they would miss a crucial part of their identity. Master Crane had three of these things: Kung Fu, the ancient art of Chinese Calligraphy and... his straw hat?


Of all my years, I have been listening to Master Oogway's wisdom about the way of Kung Fu and life. At first, I had a rather… _faulty _view on them. I was a stubborn child, especially after being left behind by my father on the stairs of the Jade Palace. At the time, I had always either discarded those quotes I couldn't completely understand or tried my hardest to grasp their true meaning. Some of his words had merit that was clear to me and I based my life on them. Some of them are still hard for me to entirely get behind even now. There are no accidents? There are no bad or good news? I can now see where Master was coming from, especially after Po was selected as the Dragon Warrior, but the true meaning behind those words has so far escaped me.

But in the end, Master was a true believer of the power of patience, and he was yet to be wrong about anything.

One of the lessons I immediately understood was the power of association. Every living person has something they associate themselves with, something that they fight teeth and claw to have them in their lives, as without it, they would miss a crucial part of their identity. And without an identity, people tend to be lost in among the crowd and mean nothing more than a nameless shape in the universe.

Some people associate themselves with other people, some with a certain trait of their personality, some with an ideology, and some with basic, lifeless objects. Nothing in this world can escape the possibility of being the one thing that a person associates themselves to, even the things that mean the least to the world can be a crucial part of a life.

People who live the way of Kung Fu is no exception either. Most of them, who have dedicated themselves to the beauty of this lifestyle, have associated themselves with the art itself. That doesn't necessarily mean that a person cannot have more than one association, as a person can have more than one identity. I am part of the Masters who have Kung Fu as the one thing that I will not let go of. Almost all Masters are, as becoming a Master needs a high amount of devotion, wisdom, and determination when it comes to this form of Martial Art. It is challenging to become a Master while having connected to anything other than The Way.

I should have known that I would get five students, who have managed to overcome this challenge.

There is the smallest of my pupils Master Mantis, who was a doctor-to-be before he was recruited. He didn't give up on his studies when he joined the Jade Palace and became well-versed in the art of medicine. There has been numerous amount of cases when his knowledge of the body of different species and how to treat certain diseases and injuries had saved lives, be it a civilian or another Kung Fu Master.

Then there is the strangest one, Master Viper. Having no appendages and achieving Master rank in an art that requires all four limbs is certainly no small feat and I couldn't be more proud of her. She was a dancer when she came to the Palace, using her natural grace and beauty that limbs would make impossible to attain. She managed to implement her learned dance moves into her father's Viper technique and got to a point where she could definitely propose a great challenge to his predecessor.

Then there is the one, whose species was gifted to always have a talent for any kind of Martial arts, Master Monkey. Having four hands instead of two is an advantage not to be discarded. Arms have always been the more controllable limb of the two, so it came to me as no surprise that Monkey was the first one to master his own technique. The one thing that kept him from becoming Master officially was his other association; while Viper and Mantis combined, he divided. As an ex-comedian, it came to me as no surprise when despondence was the answer I got when I told him to let go of his life surrounded by the art of humor. I had to realize after months of training, that even though Monkey didn't implement humor and comedy into his fighting style, he still managed to better his own techniques with it: it was his motivation. Strange as it may be, the world of comedy, laughs and amusement is where Monkey has always belonged, and I had to realize that there is no Master Monkey, without humor.

Then there is the newest student, the Dragon Warrior, Po. Oh, such a hectic figure he is. He managed to do what Monkey didn't: combine comedy with Kung Fu. That, or he really is just that much of a fool. Nevertheless, his foolishness ended up being an asset when it comes to fighting, so I cannot really be disappointed in him, or be furious at his eccentric style. There wasn't really a style to begin with now that I think about it, so maybe it is for the best that the Panda style became so different, yet so effective. Being immune to hits that can paralyze Elephants, being bouncy like some kind of rubber ball or being able to take hits like no other may be even greater of an advantage than four hands. But his association may be even more outrageous than Master Monkey's: Eating. It shouldn't have come to me as a surprise, he _is _a Panda in the end, so food being his greatest motivation and eating being a part of his identity is just natural logic. But, there is a reason why Pandas don't learn any kind of Martial Art. And yet…

Then there is Master Crane. You would think that it is obvious what his two associations are: Kung Fu, the thing that gave him confidence, and flying, that gave him freedom. You would be right, partially at least. He is the only master who connected his identity to a total of _three_ things. Kung Fu, the art of ancient Chinese Calligraphy and his straw hat. Calligraphy seems to be the one that gives him peace, a sense of relaxation. He actually implemented his skills in art into his fighting technique and ended up rivaling Viper when she dances. It is an exceptionally beautiful sight to behold when you give him proper motivation and rile him up a little bit.

But the last one seems to be the dearest to the master of the Crane technique, as even I was oblivious of this fact until I saw what happens when he is forcefully _disconnected_ from his hat. A mere object made of straw, but that bird would give 'beautiful death' a new meaning if someone dared to touch it without his consent.

A story would help more to understand it, as I'm sure _I _wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see the consequence with my own eyes.

It happened on a free day. A day when I let my students do whatever they want. I highly advise them to continue training on their own or meditate, but mischief is a trait that cannot be killed by mere advice. Master Monkey and Master Mantis are perfect examples of this. As I meditated in front of the statue of Master Oogway with Master Tigress and Master Viper, the quietness was disturbed by mere chatting and snickering coming from the direction of the barracks. It was the aforementioned Masters, looking like they have just executed the most ingenious and devious plan in the history of Kung Fu. They also had Master Crane's rice hat, which at the time didn't bother me more than their disturbance of Peace.

''What are you two doing?" asked Master Viper and I inwardly sighed, knowing that for at least a short time, meditation would prove meaningless.

''Well, you know how Feather boy acted weird when that one rabbit tried to try on his hat and then proceeded to run away while Crane was busy with the other children?" asked Master Mantis with clear amusement in his eyes.

My attention has been gained as this was new information to me. I occasionally let my students go down to the village to help the local civilians or just have a generally good time. I never ask what they do down there as I trust my students to remember every lesson of mine on discipline. This has the downside of me being uninformed of the happenings, though, with the addition of Po's infectious friendliness, my students and I have started to communicate more. That didn't mean I knew everything still, and this was one of those things.

''So you guys decided to copy a 5-year-old and steal his hat?" asked Master Tigress in a deadpan voice, making me smile a bit. She wasn't famous for her sense of humor, but bluntness is something I could appreciate, especially after years of listening to Oogway's long metaphors.

''That's not the point! Haven't you ever wondered how Crane is when he is angry?" replied Master Mantis.

"The dude is basically a walking bundle of nerve and sarcastic remarks, but never have I seen him angry. But last night, I could have sworn I saw him about ready to attack that rabbit." added Master Monkey while wearing the rice hat in question.

''Even if I was curious about it, I'm not foolish enough to be on the receiving end of something that could potentially be dangerous." Master Tigress answered, look disapproving as ever.

''It's just mean and possibly dangerous. Crane would never do this to you, why would you do this to him?" asked Viper with a low hiss in her voice. I just hope I don't have to intervene.

''Oh come on, you are talking like we are not trained Kung Fu Masters." replied Master Mantis with confidence that bordered arrogance.

''And we outnumber him too." added Monkey, sharing a laugh with his scheming friend.

''I wouldn't be so confident if I were you.'' I spoke up finally, getting the attention of all four of my students. ''There is a saying: 'The people with the calmest mind or the brightest smile snap the loudest.'"

They seemed to be hesitative after my admonition. They looked ready to apologize when the Dragon Warrior suddenly appeared running towards us, getting all our attention. He was little out of breath, but it seemed that there is something of utmost importance, as haste and worry were written over his face.

''Guys… There is something… that…huh…" here he signed that he needed a moment to catch his breath, which was a common sight these days. Stamina was the weakest skill of the Dragon Warrior.

''So." he said, straightening up, still looking tired as ever."Does anybody, by any chance, know where Crane's hat is?"

The worry on his face contradicted the importance of his question. Young Po is a noble soul, but even he wouldn't worry about the potential loss of a _rice hat_.

''You mean this hat?" asked Master Monkey, pointing at the object in question still resting on his head.

My attention was caught once again when after the Dragon Warrior realized that the searched object was taken by a fellow Master, he looked even paler even with his white fur. Something is not adding up and it seems that Master Tigress and Master Viper has noticed it too.

''You guys should give it back to him, like _really_ fast." said Master Po, sending a wary glance towards the barracks where he came from.

''Is there a problem with Master Crane, Dragon Warrior?" I ask, making him notified by my presence. He quickly bowed and apologized.

''I'm sorry Master Shifu, but Crane has been rather… snappish this morning." he said with a forced smile. I raise an eyebrow at his hesitance.

''Oh? Did Master Crane break something important?" I asked, getting a shake of the head as a response. ''Then I don't see how that would result in such haste. Did he hurt himself in any way?"

''No! I mean, he is okay, but…" he trailed off with an awkward shrug ''…he kind of caused a ruckus in the barracks."

I and the rest of my students shared a confused glance at the picture of the pragmatist bird doing harm to his environment without thinking of the possible consequence.

''I heard weird noises from the rooms,'' Po continued ''Then he came into the kitchen, where I was, looking like somebody took away his writing stuff. He completely ignored me while I watched him open cabinets with a _little_ too much force. He straight up ripped some of them off! It was so cool!" he ended his monologue with an excited exclaim, making my eyebrows rose in surprise.

''You mean… Crane?" asked Master Viper, disbelief evident in her voice. I couldn't blame her, even I can't picture such a bird of peace do such things.

''Yes! And he was mumbling about things about his hat, so I thought maybe I could help him find it." he finished before pointing at the rice hat awkwardly ''So _yeah…_ You should put it back where it was."

His answer was a pair of sly smiles.

''If he wants it so bad, he should come and get it."

_**KA-KAW**_

It was almost comical how all of our heads snapped skywards where the loud screech of a crane was heard from. The thing we all saw was the figure of a bird coming towards the ground with incredible speed, with the two Masters as their targets. Me, Master Tigress, Master Viper and the Dragon Warrior all had time to jump away, but as they were the original targets, Master Mantis and Master Monkey got caught by two fierce kicks.

But they were my students with a reason; both Masters recovered rather quickly and managed to react to the pair of wings that aimed towards their heads, though I suspected it was more to snatch the hat away. Monkey managed to dodge and make some distance between him and the enraged bird, while Mantis counter-attacked the wing strike with a well-aimed kick. Master Crane, as it was clear to everyone by this point who this bird was, dodged the counter-attack with ease, making Mantis land on Monkey's shoulder as they both took up the stance of their reflective techniques.

What caught our attention was the bird's face, Without the hat, his face was open to everyone to see, and we all could see the weakly restrained rage on those bird like features. Some of his muscles on his face were tense, making the areas around his beak widen and wrinkle like he was trying to snarl. What I also noticed is that the whole body of his was shaking, but while others with less knowledge about body language would interpret it as shaking in anger, I knew which kind of shake was it: Fear. Why was he so fearful, when he was the one attacking. Maybe he is fearful for the state of his hat?

''_Give it back to __**me.**_" said Master Crane, his voice showing clear evidence of the Chaos that was within his mind at the moment. I would think that after such a display of swiftness and the fact that both Mantis and Monkey were subconsciously nursing the places where those sharp legs hit, the two Masters would gain _some_ sense and not pursue the painful destiny that was about to befall on them.

But then you would be sorely wrong.

''Hm, I don't know Mantis, I think I look rather good in this, don't I?" asked Monkey while tilting his head forward so the hat does a tipping motion.

''Quite right." answered his companion ''I think you should keep it, the ladies dig a man with a hat."

Crude language aside, they are doing a magnificent job at reaching their goal. Whether it is to anger their fellow Master or to learn an important lesson about angering the wrong people, I've no clue.

''Are they trying to kill themselves?" hissed Master Tigress from next to, her posture looking ready to snap in case the situation needs to be defused.

''I don't know but that move was _awesome_! Which move will he use next? The 'Fury of One Hundred Feathers'? Or the 'White Crane Style: Airgod'? or…' and he had the audacity to gasp 'The Wings of Justice?!"

I was pretty sure that even the fighting three were looking at the panda with perplexed faces.

Turns out I was wrong, as while the two misfits _were _looking at the Dragon Warrior with the faces I have foretold, Master Crane was looking at me with an expectant eye. Seeing that, I sighed in relief, knowing now that he really was just pushed over his limit and didn't lose his head. Those people tend to not ask for permission by anyone when it comes to reaching a goal. So I smiled and gave him the briefest of nods.

Apparently, this was all he needed before launching into the air. I could hear Po and Master Viper giving out startled gasps while Master Tigress took a step back at the sudden blow of air that those wings created.

We all watched as Master Crane wordlessly flew up to a low height, and much to Po's disappointment, didn't say what kind of move he was about to do, but we all felt it. The movement he did seemed to be mirroring the 'Wings of Justice' but then the entirety of the Jade Palace would be affected with a sudden windstorm. I knew that it was not the case as the air was pretty peaceful from where we were standing. I couldn't say the same about Master Mantis and Master Monkey as they were obviously trying really hard not to get blown away by the sudden gust. I always knew that Crane could create and manipulate such winds to a degree, but this amount of control was impressive even to me.

Then we all saw the bird Master start flying in a circular motion. The motion didn't make sense until we saw leaves, petals, and dust suddenly picking up and concentrating in the middle of the vortex. Soon, we lost sight of both Masters and I had to stop Master Tigress from jumping in. She gave me a questioning look, probably not understanding why I let Crane continue doing something possibly dangerous.

''It will be a great lesson to all of us, especially to those two, to not underestimate anyone and that the calmest ones _are_ the fiercest." She seemed to be accepting my words as she looked back at the fight right when Master Crane disappeared into the vortex. I dared to take a look at Master Viper and the Dragon Warrior and I wasn't surprised; one of them was restless 'fanboying' over this new move of his fellow friend and Master, while the other was worriedly chewing on her tail, a subconscious action that I thought I had killed out of her. Oh well, hopefully, it's just a one time deal.

Master Crane's technique is an interesting technique to be sure, definitely not one to be known as inconspicuous, but just as effective. Creating an unstable area where the distance of sight is reduced to mere centimeters is a perfect way to deal with small groups of enemies.

Suddenly, I see the vortex dispersing, the three Masters coming to view and I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. There were one dazed Monkey and Mantis, both of them literally put into the ground, only their heads poking out while Master Crane was striking his finishing pose between their heads.

To top it off, when the rice hat, that started this whole situation, slowly but steadily landed perfectly on the crane's head, I could have swore I heard Master Tigress trying to conceal her chuckles with coughing. Viper was openly giggling at the whole sight and the Dragon Warrior…

Well, the fight seemed too much for him to handle as he was found unconscious on the ground in all his gracefulness and a big smile.

''Master." came Crane's calm voice, his eyes still concealed by the hat.

''You do know that you are to face punishments for your actions?" I asked, but I couldn't hide my amusement. How could I when I just witnessed an exemplary lesson about respect.

''Yes, Master Shifu." he said, and _now_ he had the nerve to look embarrassed and nervous.

''Right, Tigress, Viper, you both take Master Mantis and Monkey down to the village and have them checked. Crane, your punishment would be doing the same with the Dragon Warrior, but you are to carry him back and forth." I said, and I almost smiled when I saw a look of discomfort flash through his face upon realizing the weight he had to carry today.

But I wasn't done yet.

''Also, I heard about your escapades in the barracks and in the kitchen." the gulp I heard faintly from the frightened bird was definitely to my satisfaction ''Am I right to assume that by tonight, the whole place will look better than normal?"

''Y-yes Master."

I smiled, maybe a little smug.

''Good. You may go."

As I watched three Masters leave the gates of the Jade Palace with three unconscious or dazed Masters, I recounted the events move by move and I remembered the fearful state that Master Crane was in. A contradictory reaction, really, considering his previous and following actions. I also remembered how his shaking stopped the moment he got that rice hat back and how the tension left his body like a small river leaves a mountain at the dawn of spring. It may seem that the object is some kind of token of safety and without it, the bird's fight or flight response triggers.

It's almost like he is associating safety with the presence of the object.

Huh. Certainly interesting.


End file.
